Resurrection Expectation

Easter is over for this year,
having just passed,
but it always conjures up excitement in me.
I have an expectation that something marvelous,
unbelievable
and inherently mysterious
is about to happen.
And it always does.
The burning yellow orb of the sun
peeks above the horizon
reminding me I am alive!
Flowers throw open their petals with abandon shouting:
kiss me, sun!
Plants, presumed dead, gloriously reappear.
Resurrection is palpable.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

The Role of Flowers

Years ago I was “made to understand” that I would walk The Path of Flowers and I believe I have.
I now live in a place where something is always flowering.
Through any pain I experience there is also the beauty of blooms to cheer me.
Flowers are sent to those who are ill or suffering.
They are used for celebrations
or to honor those who have passed away.
The Lenten rose is named after a time in the Christian liturgical calendar that precedes Easter.
Many people are even named after flowers, my nieces and sister included.
Quaker George Fox famously said to walk cheerfully over the earth, answering that of God in everyone.
Flowers seem to “walk” everywhere, bringing joy to any who encounter them. Dare we do the same?

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

Tranquility Amidst Stress

Tranquility can be hard to come by when I’m stressed.
This week was a doozy.
Big storms.
No electricity for days, and then finally a text from the electric company saying it would be fixed by 6 p.m.
At 6:05 p.m. that estimate was changed to five days later at 10 p.m.!
Fortunately, they were able to fix it much sooner.
Large, medium and small trees fell in the yard, not to mention cracked limbs and smaller branches.
I prayed during the storm, asking angels to “direct” the inevitable downed trees away from structures, and every tree fell in a different direction — north, south, east and west — missing buildings and fences, some by an inch or two.
Even a small portion of our road collapsed.
Then last evening our dog, Remy, got skunked inside his enclosure, which required immediate attention, messy baths and now our entire house smells like a skunk.
Even so, the thoughts of angels watching, flowers blooming and plants growing still comfort me.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

Reconnecting

When I feel my spiritual connection weakening, I find it helpful to reinstate lapsed devotional practices.
I don’t know how it happens — the veering away of practices that ground me —
but it does.
I get busy,
or overwhelmed
and feel like I can’t spare the time.
Sometimes I need to escape the truths that present themselves so clearly when I’m in dialogue prayer
and distract myself with social events,
movies,
even chores.
Walking in nature and paying close attention to creation is one of the devotional practices I cherish.
Yet even that can drift to the wayside. Perhaps it’s time to reconnect…

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

We Matter

Footsteps Of Spring flowers are low-to-the-ground blooms that often create a patchy trail. Their yellow path prompts me to imagine Jesus leaving footprints of light where he walks.
Are we capable of leaving light along our path?
I believe we are.
Simple kindness can brighten someone’s day.
Our uplifted prayers
can change the world,
in subtle ways,
or in brilliant, bold ways.
As we go about our days we may feel like we are not making a difference,
but our “little selves” are unique,
a bit different from one another —
perhaps in the smallest of ways —
but different nonetheless.
And all of us are needed to create the story of life.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

Checking In with Nature

Bee: When you’re hanging on by a thread, stop and rest awhile.
Reflection: Be careful not to judge others — things may not be the way they appear to you.
Chrysanthemum: Mum’s the word when someone shares something with you in confidence.
Magnolia bud: Not everything can be seen as either/or; juxtapositions exist side by side.
Pod: Vulnerability is letting your heart be exposed.
Rhododendron bud: When you hold someone too close they are not free to flower: love by letting go.
Waterfall: If you stop struggling you’ll eventually pop up and float with the flow.
Nasturtium leaves: Reach for the light through the darkness.
Magnolia buds: When you are anxious, imagine being embraced by softness.
Tree dahlia pod: You already contain everything you need to grow.
Borage: A prickly person may be softer than you imagine, once you get close enough to know them.
White magnolia: May you bloom and grow forever.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

Pondering Imperfection

As I walked past the magnolia pods at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, I pondered imperfection.
Ornamental horticulturists strive for floral perfection.
But sometimes malformations occur, like this cosmos that looks like a butterfly.
Or this cosmos with an oval center, rather than a round one.
Petals can be deformed, not unfurling as expected.
Why do we hold on so tightly to the idea of perfection?
We aren’t cookie-cutter images,
nor need we try to be.
We are allowed to be who we are,
with different facets to our personas.
We are an amalgam of genetics, environment and intention.
But we are also each amazing,
unique
and loved.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

Botanical Sabbatical

The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens are closed. So I’m forced to take a botanical sabbatical.

I must say a temporary toodle-oo to the succulent garden

with its towering flowers

that start as the tiniest buds.

Farewell to the fabulous collection of rhododendrons

that brighten my outlook.

Goodbye to the grevillea with its cascade of beautiful blooms

that begin as tight curls.

So long to the marvelous magnolias.

‘Til we meet again.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

If you like these blogs, you’ll most likely enjoy my latest daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you haven’t read Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, another daily devotional, you may like that, as well.

Shelter In Place

Due to the COVID-19 virus, I am advised to “shelter in place,” only leaving our home for necessities, like toilet paper, which has been absent from market shelves for weeks now.

The magnolia is stuck in the same position as I am. It can’t go anywhere.

This particular magnolia lives tucked into a tiny corner—it can only branch out in one direction.

But it can bloom. Right where it is. Cramped in its tiny space.

A look into its center shows its surprising complexity—perhaps it’s time to delve inside my center. To discover what constitutes the seed of who I am.

To realize I am blooming today. Right now.

This way, come what may, I have no regrets.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

If you like these blogs, you’ll most likely enjoy my latest daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you haven’t read Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, another daily devotional, you may like that, as well.

Come Sit with Me

Come sit with me. This bench was made for two.

Take in the delicate curves of the fava bean bloom; its exquisite veining. A masterpiece in black and white.

Join me in the magnolia grove where hairy, colorless buds burst into brilliant bloom.

As we round the corner, money plants brush against our legs. From bloom to seed, they mesmerize.

Small pink waterfalls cascade down to lush emerald foliage. Drink in the sight.

A picoted bud is just beginning its cycle, while right next door a fern leaf is ending its cycle. Beauty before me, beauty behind me… comes to mind from an old Navajo prayer.

One calla lily boasts perfection, the other, while torn and ragged, possesses a beauty all its own. Beauty all around me—around us.

Our journey is about to end. But not the way it has for this sea urchin. Like the neighboring mushroom whose spores continue its journey, ours begins anew each time we open our eyes to wonder.

All photos © Sondra Sula.

My most recent daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula, is available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions. It is also sold at the Gallery Bookshop in Mendocino.